How to Write a Professional Resume Summary
Employers rely on well-written resumes to screen potential candidates in today’s competitive job market. Employers frequently use job search websites like HotJobs.com or Monster.com to find professionals with the skills, education, and experience they require.
In order to express interest in a specific opportunity, candidates must upload their resume to these job search websites, as well as many companies’ own online applications. You must ensure that your resume expresses your personality in addition to listing your professional and educational experiences and achievements if you do not have the opportunity to send a personal email or a cover letter.
To accomplish this, include a professional profile or summary at the beginning of your resume that allows you to market yourself narratively. This section gives potential employers the opportunity to learn something unique about you and your career, as well as get a sense of your communication skills.
READ MORE: Ideas for Making Your Event More Interesting and Exciting
To write an effective summary, first understand what information should not be included in your resume. While a summary provides insight into what makes you unique and competitive, it is not the place for you to include any personal information that is unrelated to your career. Ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and affiliations, and so on should be left off your resume.
While this information is descriptive of who you are, it is not relevant to your potential employer in order for them to pre-screen your qualifications for their opportunity. Furthermore, your previous professional experience should not be included in the summary unless you can clearly demonstrate how such experience will benefit your future career development. Be wary of statements like “I am well organized and detail oriented.”
While reading the summary section of your resume, employers want to hear your distinct voice and get a sense of your communication skills. Employers will believe that you are either a poor communicator or are making such statements to fill up space on your resume if you use generalizations about your abilities.
CHECK ALSO: 10 Ways To Power Your Communication Skills
Your summary should be in the form of a short paragraph or bulleted statements with no more than a few sentences. There is no sentence limit, but do not use more than one-quarter of the page. Your summary should start with a headline that summarizes your professional title and/or statement. Emphasize your title by using a bold and larger font, as this allows your potential employer to quickly understand who you are. As an example:
Professional in Financial Planning
Through well-balanced financial portfolios, we were able to achieve double-digit returns for all of our clients. This title is critical because it is the first impression your potential employer will have of you.
A well-written summary should address three points:
– Your previous experiences and skills as they relate to your desired job
– What you can offer the organization and the vacant position that no other candidate can.
– Your professional objectives.
Even if you write your resume summary, it should be written in the third person, in the present tense. Consider it a synopsis of what one of your best colleagues would say about your professional accomplishments. Reinforce your title and sell only the experiences and skills that are relevant to your career goal.
If you have multiple career goals, such as wanting to work in marketing or public relations, create separate resume summaries for each of them. A summary can also include a brief bulleted section highlighting only a few of the most important competitive skills you bring to the table. The following is an example of an effective summary:
Professional financial planner with over 15 years of personal and retirement planning experience. Managed a small financial planning firm, generating double-digit financial returns for all clients through the creation of personalized investment portfolios. Through effective and motivating mentoring strategies, you will be the leader in the development and professional growth of four other financial planners in the firm.
Among the key competencies are:
o Individualized portfolio development
o Financial projections
o Portfolio management for retirement
o Create ongoing professional development strategies
Your summary, like the rest of your resume, should be well-written and error-free. Make sure to go over your summary and tweak it as needed for the various opportunities of interest. A good summary will help you “hook” your employer; it should sell you as the best candidate for the job, leaving your employer with a favorable first impression of you.
